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Yoga As Part Of An Anti-Aging Plan
from: Donovan BaldwinWhile the topics under discussion are obviously yoga and having
or making an anti-aging plan, it has become obvious over the
last few years that anything done to improve personal health,
increase flexibility, optimize the cardiovascular system,
improve strength, increase the efficiency of organs and glands,
and/or keep a person mentally alert and feeling glad to be alive
has a place in any anti-aging plan.
Even though my contention is certainly going to be that yoga can
produce all the effects mentioned, and maybe more, some people
will simply not be attuned to donning a leotard, lighting
candles, chanting to the tunes of other-worldly CD's, and
attempting to bend their bodies into positions they know they
cannot attain anyway!
There will be people interested in the aging process who are
genuinely willing to do a lot to create an effective anti-aging
plan but who are just not interested in yoga. While I cannot
address each possible consideration in such a short article
which is dedicated to the specific topic of yoga, I can say that
any exercise program or regular activity can produce many
similar physical results. Regularly challenging the mind, by
puzzles, by learning new skills, or by placing oneself in social
situations rather than withdrawing from them can certainly help
maintain not only intellectual vigor but encourage physical
activity and help defend the body against the effects of an
unrestrained aging process. Attention to proper nutrition is
valuable in this process as well.
In fact, there is no reason why anyone should not, or would not,
use all of the above suggestions as part of an anti-aging plan
whether they practice yoga or not! Yoga, while effective in this
plan is not the only thing that someone should be doing, nor
should they wait until they are "old" to begin the process. In
fact, the sooner the better. Starting a child on a path that
includes health, fitness, intellectual stimulation and growth,
and a love of life and the people around us is a means of
insuring that the child will, as Mr. Spock says, "Live long and
prosper."
To speak in generalities about yoga as part of an anti-aging
plan is a simple task. It produces physical fitness, encourages
overall health of mind and body, helps keep the intellect
stimulated, helps with the removal of toxins from the body,
increases flexibility, helps improve the effectiveness of the
immune system...the list goes on.
However, what can be said specifically about yoga and aging?
After all, those comments are just words that I have placed upon
a page.
Well, others have placed such words as well, and have been
applauded by the medical community as well as the general
public. For example, in their acclaimed book "YOU: The Owner's
Manual: An Insider's Guide to the Body that Will Make You
Healthier and Younger", authors Michael F. Roizen, Mehmet Oz,
who are concentrating on the physical side of life, applaud the
daily practice of yoga as it relates both to life and to aging.
The authors are both MD's. Dr. Roizen has provided health care
to eight Nobel Peace Prize winners and more than 100 Fortune 500
CEOs and CFOs, and countless others. He has been in the Best
Doctors in America since 1989. Dr. Oz is professor and
vice-chairman of surgery at Columbia University. He is also
medical director of the Integrated Medicine Center and director
of the Heart Institute, New York Presbyterian/Columbia Medical
Center.
Below is an excerpt from an interview conducted by WebMD.com.
Dr. Roizen is speaking in response to a question about the daily
practice of a short yoga program:
"Physical activity has three major components:
* Any activity -- such as walking.
* Strength building activity -- such as lifting weights.
* Stamina activity -- such as any activity that gets you to
sweat in a cold room. Yoga constitutes two of those, that is,
any activity and resistance activity because you are holding a
body part in a position that gains strength.
All of these activities decrease aging of your arteries,
decrease aging of your immune system, make your hormone system
youthful and increase muscular skeletal strength, keeping your
bones and muscles stronger. By keeping your immune system
younger, this little activity of five minutes a day helps
prevent cancer and immune dysfunction, which prevents things
like infections and many forms of arthritis."
Additionally, the regular practice of yoga breathing throughout
a full yoga workout can assist with improvement in
cardiovascular health, while it is possibly a good idea to
include some sort of cardio specific activity. Regular practice
of yoga creates a state similar to meditation which has been
shown to improve mental acuity and reduce stress, a major player
in aging. It obviously increases flexibility and improves
balance. Regular practice of yoga can improve the functioning of
internal organs and glands, and aids in digestion.
Also, despite the arguments against yoga earlier in this
article, No special clothing is required, nor does any specific
type of atmosphere need to be created. I travel a lot, and have
often done my yoga routine in my underwear on a small strip of
floor beside the bed while my wife watched the news on TV. While
setting the stage properly can assist with some of the
concentration and attitude that makes for a more highly
effective yoga session, it can be done anytime, anywhere, by
anybody.
Nor is the ability to convert yourself into a pretzel required.
The goal of any yoga practitioner is to do what he or she can to
achieve the posture or movement. The people shown in pictures
are the ones who have gotten to that point generally after years
of practice, and, as in any activity, some are just going to be
better at it than others. Regularly doing what you CAN do to the
best of your ability will return positive results.
My recommendation? It's obvious. I believe that yoga can be an
effective part of an anti-aging plan even if it is not the only
part.
About the author:
Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer. He is a University of West
Florida alumnus, a member of Mensa, and is retired from the U.
S. Army. Learn more about yoga at
http://yoga-4-the-health-of-it.com/ .
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